Monthly Archives : October 2012

The Gonads will play their last ever London date on Friday 2nd November, as special guests of the Last Resort at the Boston Arms, Tufnell Park. The veteran punk band, renowned for songs such as ‘Oi Mate’ and ‘I Lost My Love (To A UK Sub)’ announced today that they will cease playing live shows permanently at the end of next year. The press release says: ‘We are currently working on a series of ‘Farewell to all that’ dates, details of which will be announced periodically throughout 2013. Future projects involving film, fiction, rock opera, and graphic and performance art will be revealed later, but old-fashioned gigs will finish entirely. To book the Gonads in 2013, email waistrel@the-gonads.co.uk; serious enquiries only.’

Thursday 8th - Sunday 11th August 2013 The Winter Gardens, Blackpool, UK www.rebellionfestivals.com TICKET PRICES WEEKEND TICKETS (All 4 Days) £115 until Oct 31st £130 from 1st Nov ------------------------- All prices inclusive of VAT at the current rate ------------------------- Unless paying by Cheque or Postal Order directly to Rebellion, a BOOKING FEE will apply. Please check with the ticket supplier for rate. BUY TICKETS DIRECTLY FROM REBELLION BY CHEQUE / P.O. OR CREDIT CARD Cheques / POs payable to: Rebellion Festivals Ltd Please send to: 65 Whitecross Rd Hereford HR4 0DQ, UK PLEASE ENCLOSE AN SAE (Stamped Adressed Envelope) for your tickets to be returned. There is NO booking fee for tickets purchased by Cheque / Postal Order REBELLION CREDIT CARD PAYMENT DETAILS To pay by credit card securely over the phone, please call: 02476 601 678 (00 44 2476 601678 from outside the UK) BOOKING FEE WILL APPLY Alternatively, please email us for further information at: rebelliontickets@btinternet.com WE NOW ACCEPT PAYPAL Please email rebelliontickets@btinternet.com for details on how to make a payment via PayPal OTHER TICKET AGENTS We have a list of other approved agents that will be selling tickets for this event. Please visit the TICKETS page on our website for info LINE UP SO FAR... THE DAMNED THE EXPLOITED THE CASUALTIES CHAS AND DAVE LENE LOVICH BAND STREET DOGS LEATHERFACE UK SUBS HARDSKIN CHRON GEN SPECIAL DUTIES RANDOM HAND THE PEACOCKS SPLODGENESSABOUNDS LEFT ALONE GEOFFREY OiCOTT THE RIFFS TEXAS TERRI BOMB RED ALERT SICK ON THE BUS THE RABBLE GIMPFIST FIRE EXIT THE PROWLERS (CANADA) ANTI ESTABLISHMENT PAUL CARTER DIRTBOX DISCO IN EVIL HOUR TOPBUZZER SKY ROCKET JACK MORE TO FOLLOW LATEST UPDATES FROM REB H.Q. Hi All We're well underway with our booking for 2013. There's still loads of bands on our 'wants' list so expect the updates to become more regular over the next few months. As always, many bands (including HEADLINERS) can't confirm until they've worked out next summers tour schedules etc so please be patient and rest assured that we will have our usual mix of bands and some exciting headline acts for you. You'd be amazed how many people complain based on looking at the line up in October and thinking 'that's it'!! - We can promise there's some really good additions coming up once we nailed them! However, we can already confirm some really decent bands - check out the list on the left. Tickets go up on Thursday (see below) so now's the chance to pick them up at the discounted price. Catch you in BIRMINGHAM on Dec 8th for our Xmas Bash with Cock Sparrer, Rancid, The Exploited etc. If you've not got your tickets yet, see the info below. All the very best for the wintery evenings ahead! TEAM REBELLION x THE DAMNED - CONFIRMED The DAMNED are the latest addition for 2013. Needing no introduction, this band rightfully deserve their place in the Punk & Alternative scene. We all know they were the first punk band to to release a 7 inch single in the UK, the first punk band to hit the USA etc etc but this is a band that don't just rely on past glories. 10 albums later, the band are still going strong and the Captains lunacy and amazing guitar playing are reason enough to catch them live! TICKETS Don't forget that the TICKET price RISES on THURSDAY. Now is your last chance to pick up a weekend ticket for £115. They go up to £130 from 1st Nov. To pay by credit card securely over the phone, please call: 02476 601 678 (00 44 2476 601678 from outside the UK) BOOKING FEE WILL APPLY REBELLION XMAS BASH! December 8th 2012 WHEN: Saturday 8th December 2012 WHERE: The Ballroom, Birmingham, UK TICKET PRICE: £42.50 Advance (plus booking fee) TICKET INFO: rebelliontickets@btinternet.com VENUE ADDRESS: THE BALLROOM 52 DALE END, BIRMINGHAM B4 7LS ALL DAY EVENT: Doors Open 12 Noon till 2AM MINI REBELLION FESTIVAL: 3 STAGES, 14 Hours of Music LINE UP: COCK SPARRER RANCID THE EXPLOITED UK SUBS ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE INFA RIOT STREET DOGS VICE SQUAD PETER & THE TEST TUBE BABIES TV SMITH DOWNTOWN STRUTS DEADLINE GOLDBLADE PARANOID VISIONS JAYA THE CAT PORK DUKES HENRY CLUNEY GIMP FIST SECTION 5 DRONGOS FOR EUROPE CRIMINAL CLASS BOOZE & GLORY THE TERRACES DIRTY FOLKERS DIRT BOX DISCO START PASCAL BRIGGS THE CROWS BITEBACK ROTUNDA MANGLED PLUS MORE...... All Ages – Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18 at all times CREDIT CARD BOOKING To pay by credit card securely over the phone, please call: 02476 601 678 (00 44 2476 601678 from outside the UK) BOOKING FEE WILL APPLY Alternatively, please email us for futher information at: rebelliontickets@btinternet.com WE NOW ACCEPT PAYPAL Please email rebelliontickets@btinternet.com for details on how to make a payment Cheques / Postal Orders payable to: Rebellion Festivals Limited Please send to: 65 Whitecross Rd Hereford HR4 0DQ Please enclose SAE and please allow 28 days for delivery. OTHER TICKET OUTLETS: ON LINE:www.birmingham-ballroom.com 24 HOUR TICKET LINE: 0121 320 2820 OFFICIAL OUTLETS: TheTicketSellers www.theticketsellers.co.uk Ticketweb www.ticketweb.co.uk Gigantic www.gigantic.com See www.seetickets.com Ticketline www.ticketline.co.uk Wolves Civic www.midlandboxoffice.co.uk The Ticket Factory www.theticketfactory.com Until Next Time..... That's all for now. Don't forget to keep in touch via Facebook (see link below) JOIN US ON OUR SOCIAL WEBSITES REBELLION FESTIVALS Ltd, 65, Whitecross Rd, Hereford, HR4 0DQ U.K. www.rebellionfestivals.com

There have been hints at new Goldblade material for a few months now starting with the release of controversial video "We’re All In It Together" and during their recent slew of live shows where they have been playing new sounds to unsuspecting audiences across the UK.

Today, it comes with real pleasure to announce that these UK punk legends have signed to Southern Records to release their brand new album which will be unleashed early in 2013. This marks their first release since 2008’s Mutiny.

The album was recorded at the legendary Southern Studios, so it seemed natural that the label would be their new home. Goldblade front-man John Robb had this to say about the signing: "At last we have a new album and a new home. There is something perfect about Goldblade being on Southern Records with it’s great catalogue of punk rock with an intelligence and a meaning. We bought all those Crass and Rudimentary Peni Records, as well as the On U Sound System and Fugazi and just about every band that understood the punk rock spirit and carried the flag for underground music in the decades after the punk rock big bang. It was great to record the album at Southern studios with its long history of brilliant sounding records from Crass to Jesus And Mary Chain to Shellac and be part of that noisy culture that is the real soundtrack to independent culture and the real alternative music."

More specific album details are still be revealed in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

A special performance to support the re-release of the Manic Street Preacher’s excellent debut album ‘Generation Terrorists’ will see singer James Dean Bradfield play an acoustic set at Rough Trade East records, London plus the ‘Culture, Alienation, Boredom and Despair’ film will be screened.

This very unique event will take place on Tuesday 6th November at 7pm.

In order to get a wristband to the show you will need to purchase the legacy edition of ‘Generation Terrorists’ via the Rough Trade East website or instore from 5th Nov.

While the Sex Pistols music icons to many musicians and fans, less can say that the Sex Pistols’ first public performance happened to be an inspiration like Adam Ant can. Ant, born Stuart Leslie Goddard, was performing with a band called Bazooka Joe as a bass player in 1975 when he became transfixed with his band’s supporting act. While the rest of Bazooka Joe was unimpressed with the then unknown Pistols, Ant was so moved that he quit the Joe’s after that night’s performance. Adam and the Ants began performing two years later. Though there was a constant change up in the band members themselves, Adam & the Ants released three successful albums between ’79 and ’81. Their third album, ‘Prince Charming’, featured three singles in the UK top five, two of them in the number one slot. Despite their initial success, Ant disbanded from the group in 1982 and launched a solo career a few months later, taking his guitarist and songwriting partner Marco Pirroni with him. Ant’s next album, ‘Friend or Foe’, enjoyed great chart success in the UK, Australia, and the US. His hit single ‘Goody Two Shoes’ took the number one slot in Australia and the UK and No. 12 in America.

Ant also enjoyed an acting career in both the UK and America; he spent a few months on stage starring in the shows in London before entering the American TV market in the late ‘80s. Ant appeared on various American TV shows in the next few years, including ‘The Equalizer’ and ‘Tales From The Crypt’. He later moved to Hollywood, taking film roles such as ‘Nomads’ and ‘Sunset Heat’. Ant also produced a musical about music legends Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran called ‘Be Bop A Lula’.

Yet despite his success, Ant was struggling with his celebrity status. In 2002, his tour was postponed after he was arrested and fined for throwing a car alternator through a pub window and threatening patrons with an imitation firearm. A year later, he was arrested after attempting to smash in the neighbour’s patio door with a shovel, and again for falling asleep on the floor of a café basement with his pants around his ankles. He was charged with affray and criminal damage for all three arrests; he was also sentenced to six months in a psychiatric ward, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disease. While under psychiatric care, Ant began to write songs again, and had several projects under way by the time he was released, including the launch of his own record label.

Ant was well known for his strange sex appeal, particularly in America. He was named MTV’s Sexiest Man in America in 1983 and Rock Magazine’s Sexiest Man of 1984, which helped him solidify his image as a pop star and sex icon. Ant was perhaps more well received in the US in general; while the BBC banned the release of Ant’s ‘Strip’ video and show, MTV was more than happy to play it. He was also well-known for his outrageous fashion sense; his clothing received so much attention from fans that in 2011 Ant announced that he was working on a fashion label with British fashion designer Rob Lucas called Blueblack Hussar (after his upcoming album).

Since 2010, Ant has been performing live regularly in his hometown of London and working on recording a new album. With two full-length UK national tours in 2011 and a third scheduled later this year, Ant shows no signs of stopping. Ant will wrap up his current tour in the US with his last show on October 20th before returning to the UK.

The quiff has been the trademark hairstyle of a true rocker for well over 50 years. To celebrate the backcombed wonder in all its glory, from its ’50s roots (ahem) to the psychobilly adaptation, here are VLR’s top quiff-sporting guitar and microphone slingers!

Celebrating their 50th anniversary with a couple of London O2 Arena dates in late November before heading Stateside (and a coinciding new documentary film called ‘Crossfire Hurricane’), the rock ‘n’ roll legends have caused controversy again with ticket prices. However, they’re no strangers to shocking actions, as this list proves…

1967: Rolling eyes at Ed Sullivan The Rolling Stones were scheduled to appear on an episode of ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ in January of 1967. Before going on, Sullivan instructed Mick Jagger to change the title of their single ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’. The band complied, although Jagger spent the performance rolling his eyes at the camera every time he sang the changed line “let’s spend some time together.” The Stones only appeared in one other episode of the Sullivan show in 1969; rumour has it that the band was asked by producers to wear matching suits for a cleaner look, but were allowed back into their own clothes after they showed up for the taping in matching rental Nazi uniforms.

1967: Redlands gets raided Sussex police, tipped off by the ‘News Of The World'(who were tipped off by Keith Richards’ chauffeur), raided a band party at Keith Richards’ legendary Redlands estate in West Wittering. While no arrests were made at the time, Jagger, Richards, and a guest were charged with drugs offences. Known as the Redland Raid, this moment marks the beginning of the band’s long history with drug charges and legal troubles.

1967: Jagger and Richards go to jail In July of 1967, Mick Jagger was imprisoned and sentenced to three months of imprisonment for possession of amphetamine tablets. Keith Richards was also arrested and found guilty of allowing cannabis to be smoked on his property; he was sentenced to one full year in prison. Jagger and Richards were released on bail the next day pending appeal, resulting in the famous ”headline ‘Who Breaks a Butterfly on a Wheel?’ 1968: The Death of Brian Jones Brian Jones, guitarist and one of the founding members of the Stones, had been with the band during their heaviest drug years; in 1967, Jones’ house was raided and he was arrested and charged with cannabis possession, which resulted in his refusal of a US visa while the band was attempting to tour. These charges, paired with the news that Jones’ former girlfriend Anita Pallenberg was leaving him to start a relationship with Richards, were too much for Jones to handle. He announced his split from the band, and the other members left for the tour without him. A few weeks later, Jones was found dead in his swimming pool in East Sussex.

1969: The Altamont Speedway Free Festival Held in Northern California, the festival was headlined and organized by the Stones and featured other big acts, including Jefferson Airplane and Crosby, Stills and Nash. The infamous Hells Angels were hired by the Stone to provide security for the event. Despite the impressive list of acts, the festival is remembered for its considerable violence and property damage; there were four deaths in the crowd that day. Three deaths were accidental, with two hit-and-runs and one drowning. The fourth death, however, was the homicide of eighteen-year-old Meredith Hunter. After a particularly rowdy Stones number, Hunter caused commotion by pulling a revolver from his jacket. A member of the Hells Angels stabbed Hunter in the side, forcing him to drop the gun. Hunter’s autopsy confirmed he was high on methamphetamine when he died. Hells Angels member was arrested and tried for murder in the summer of 1971, but was acquitted after a jury viewed concert footage showing Hunter brandishing the revolver; they concluded that he had acted in self-defence and dropped the charges.

1977: Trouble in Toronto In February of 1977, Richards was detained by customs on his way to meet the band in Toronto for being in possession of a burnt spoon and hash residue. Three days later, the Canadian Police showed up with an arrest warrant for Richards’ partner Anita Pallenberg; inside, they discovered 22 grams of heroin in Richards’ room. Richards was charged with importing narcotics into Canada, an offence that carried a minimum seven-year sentence. prosecutor later proved that Richards had obtained the drugs after landing, and he received a suspended sentence and was ordered to play two free concerts for the CNIB in Oshawa. 1979: Russian roulette or suicide? Seventeen-year-old Scott Cantrell, a groundskeeper at the house that Richards and Pallenberg shared in New York, was found in Richards’ bed with a bullet in his head. Cantrell was rumoured to have been involved in a sexual relationship with Pallenberg at the time, although nothing was ever officially proven. Richards was in Paris recording with the Stones at the time of the shooting, but their son was at the house when the shot was fired. Pallenberg was initially arrested for murder after rumours that Pallenberg and Cantrell had been playing a game of Russian roulette began to circulate. The police investigation later stated that Pallenberg was not in the room or on the same floor of the house at the time the shot was fired, and the death was officially ruled as a suicide.

1989: How old are you again? Bill Wyman, the longtime bassist for the Stones from 1962-1992, became the subject of considerable media attention when he announced his marriage to 18 year-old Mandy Smith. Wyman was 55 at the time. Even more concerning was the fact that the couple had begun their “courtship” when he was 50 and she was 13. The marriage ended shortly after Wyman left the Stones in 1992. 2006: Richards cracks his head After touring through multiple countries in 2006, the Stones took a short scheduled break in New Zealand before proceeding to Europe. During this break, Keith Richards fell out of a tree in Fiji and was hospitalized for cranial surgery, leading to a six-week delay in the tour. 2012: 50 Years and £375 later The news that the Rolling Stones were going on tour for their 50th anniversary was initially great news to fans across the world. That is, until fans caught a peek at the prices. Standards tickets for their two-night stint at London’s O2 Arena will cost between ￡90 and ￡375; prices for their two performances in New Jersey in the US are almost twice as much. Many fans have already expressed their horror at the prices and disappointment in the band; many have announced their boycott of the tour. It has been rumoured that the Stones will get paid ￡15 million ($25 million) for just these four gigs; that they play for two hours and split the profit equally, each member will be making close to half a million pounds per hour.

Rachael Cortellessa

The Rolling Stones play London O2 Arena on November 25th and 29th. The documentary film ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ will go on general release in November.

Quo seem to be loved by punks, metallers and rockers. What do you think is their universal appeal? “I think they crossover, that Motorhead appeal. No matter what you listen to, they have one you like! I’ve heard songs by them at parties over the years and not known it was them because it’s like a new song. Guys I know who don’t like them are like, ‘this is good’. Then it’s Quo. That song ‘Two Way Traffic’ from the last album, I was out with Steve Diggle for a beer and it comes on in this boozer, we are both like ‘this is incredible!’. And it’s the new Quo single.” How was it seeing the original line-up back together after all this time? “When we first got the gig we knew there had been various other Quo documentaries throughout the years, but we also knew that ours was the first to be interviewing all of the original ‘Frantic Four’. Once that was set in stone, Alexa (my producer) was keen on, well, if we are interviewing them all, why can’t they play something? And she just kept pushing it. So last December, in front of an audience of no more than about 28 (full film crew included) we got to see, and film, a very historic jam session. History in the making…”

With ‘Hello Quo’ you are telling the story of one of the most influential rock bands – what was your motivation to do a documentary about them? “As I said in the press release, I don’t think there can be a name further away from this project than mine! Sid Vicious, SLF, Monty Python. Hell, The Great Train Robbers, the next logical step isn’t Status Quo! But I think over the last 18 months that has proved itself to be a strength more than a weakness. Because I wasn’t as close to the story as some directors might have been, I think that helped the project breath a bit. We had barely signed the contract when we were told it was between you and the guy who did The Beatles Anthology! No pressure then lads.” The film is fully supported by the band and features prominent figures of the rock ‘n’ roll business, such as Thin Lizzy, Paul Weller and Buzzcocks. So how did working with Status Quo and the other musicians come about? It must have been quite an honour to work with all of them? “I knew there was a good Quo/Jam story because of Bruce’s days in SLF, and I know Paul anyway, so I figured that would be good. Slade, Lizzy and Sweet are of the time so I wanted their involvement, Steve Diggle and Paul Weller both had Quo as their first rock gig! It was very cool to get Brian May and Jeff Lynn. Putting Cliff Richard into the movie means my mum now thinks that what we do is legit! The whole project came about because of the ‘Monty Python’ movie which I was Emmy nominated for. The rest was/is history.” You know the music industry quite well as you’ve worked in it since your twenties. What is you personal opinion regarding the changes in the industry and the rock bands nowadays compared to the ones from the ’60s? “I don’t think we’ve got anything new! I hate myself already for saying that but I look at my iPod and it’s Slade, Lizzy, Sweet, The Beatles, KISS, Motley, Metallica, The Clash, Jovi, Ozzy, Leppard, Marc. You get my point, about the newest thing on there is the Manics, and whichever way you slice it, that’s not new. I loved the last Papa Roach album, but again, I think that the very best is behind us bands wise. But I think in the way we access music, and certainly in music film, there is far more to come.

Finally, what are your future plans? With documentaries about The Clash and Sex Pistols, can we expect another music documentary or do you want to run another path? “I have a big movie lined up next with a very big group… uber big! Can’t say who yet I’m afraid, but you’ll see, can’t say anymore. We are being offered scripts too, so you never know. Quo is my third cinematic release but my tenth actual movie, so we have come a long way and I have a great team behind me. I’m ready, that much is true.”

Read the rest of this interview in the new issue (no. 9) of Vive Le Rock, which you can order now HERE.

Brian, when you wrote ‘New Rose’ back in ’76, just where the hell did that come from? Because back then, music was nothing like that. It was all the Emerson, Lake and Palmer and prog-rock rubbish!

B: I don’t know. It came from a whole bunch of places. You know, it’s like, I’ve always been into kind of ‘attitude music,’ be it rock ‘n’ roll, Eddie Cochran, be it, I don’t know, the Yardbirds. Later on, the Stooges, MC5. Then, later on, the Dolls. Lou Reed had his time where he had a hell of a lot attitude going. You know, even old blues stuff had a lot of attitude to it. I guess, ‘New Rose’ was written—it was a riff that I had kicking about for a while. I used to be in a band called Bastard, and we couldn’t get a gig in this country to save our lives, so we moved over to Brussels, Belgium. And we went all over. We didn’t make much money—we were starving, you know what I mean? We were sort of lived off other people, but at least we were playing a bit. Some of them got into it, particularly the French people there. And I liked this riff kicking about, and I was playing it to the guys in the band, but it seemed to go nowhere, and when I came back to England, and I met Rat [Scabies] after teaming up with Mick [Jones] and Tony [James] in London, I played this riff to him, and he immediately picked up on it and, it was like, “Ah, ha!” And so whilst Rat was scrounging around, trying to find gigs for us, and he was trying to get a band together and trying to find a bass player and a singer and all this sort of stuff, I got to writing. All the sudden, the song [birds?] approached! I don’t know. It was a combination of playing with the right drummer and the kind of scene involved, there was this kind of—At the time, the Pistols were playing. I’d seen them because we were taken down—like, the London SS guys—to some party they were playing and they were lead guys, and they did a lot of Stooges numbers, and it was like, “Wow,” there’s a lot of people out there, not just two or three other people. And you’d bump into people, people with the same sort of attitude, you know people who actually had short hair or wore leather jackets, and I think that’s where ‘New Rose’ comes from. It’s because of this thing starting up, and it’s just exciting.

And then you went from the album’Damned Damned Damned—obviously, it was a major explosion, you know. Everyone knows that’s a fantastic album. But second album, ‘Music For Pleasure,’ has been a real favourite of mine. You know, it’s got some real great songs, but it was less thrashy and a bit more experimental, wasn’t it?

B: Well, we wanted to….One, we didn’t have a lot of songs written, but no one in the band really wanted to copy the first album. I mean, it was okay for the Ramones because they had a particular kind of sound, and that’s what they did. They always did that through the years, kind of thing. And that was their style. But with the Damned, we were four different types of people playing music together, and I don’t know. We all shared a kind of an interest in trying something new a bit, and, to me, that’s what part of the band thing was about. It was about experimenting, trying new stuff. There was no punk bands, of the original bands, that sounded the same. Everybody had their own kind of style to them. The Adverts had come along, and all kinds of bands had come out of nowhere and were given that stimulus from the original punk bands to do it. Anyone could do it.

E: There was a lot more innovating back then. A lot of punk bands now sound all very similar. It’s sort of been done before.

B: That’s another thing. To a certain extent, this is like the third generation of punk bands You know, you have bands copying the Damned; you have bands copying the Clash, the Pistols. And it was like, “Oh, this is getting a bit fucking tiring.” They walk around in their uniforms. All the fuckin’ leather jackets didn’t mean anything, the black leather jackets. I don’t know, the skull and crossbones and that sort of stuff. It all became sort of like a uniform. That’s not the point of all. It was all about expression and fuckin’ doing your own thing! It was about your fantasies. So it all sort of went up its own ass.

E: [laughs] Fair enough. And so, did you actually leave the Damned, or did the band just fall apart?

B: What happened was Rat left the band, first of all, during the European tour. And he was a bit unhappy with it. He wasn’t happy with ‘Music For Pleasure,’ and he wasn’t happy that I wanted to get another guitar player.

E: Oh, that’s right. Lu, yeah.

B: Yeah, and anyway he was kind of overdoing it. And he sort of freaked out a bit, and said, “Alright, I’m off.” And so we got another drummer, this guy called John Moss(later in Culture Club). It just wasn’t the same. It was me and Rat who picked up the band, restarted it, and it was because of that thing that me and Rat had going, that was the sort of stimulus for all the rest of the band and stuff, you know what I mean? So it was the sort of center point of it. And, so I said to the other guys, I said to Captain and Dave Vanian, I just want to split the band up. We’ve done it; we’ve said it, and it ain’t the same without Rat. It’s time to work with other musicians and see what comes out.

E: It’s quite brave I supposed, but you went on to head Brian James Brains and the Hellions. And I think my brother saw you playing at the Reading Festival and you got bottled off with the Hellions. Is that right?

B: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I knew what was going to happen. We played in the afternoon, and apart from us it was all fuckin’ heavy metal bands. The day or two before, I got an army outfit. I sort of dressed up like a soldier to go on stage, not like the Clash, but like a real soldier. And I went out there expecting the worst, and boy did I get it.

E: [laughs]

B: –bottles and everything. But I’ll tell you the worst thing they were chucking was like mud, big globs of mud, right? And as it comes in—like physical things like bottles, bricks or whatever, you can see it coming, and you can duck, right? But mud just flips up in mid-air.

[Laughs]

B: We lasted as long as we could. It was full marks. We were doing ‘New Rose,’and this mate of ours called Gaz[?], who plays with the Lightning Roses, he said before that he wanted to get up on stage, and I said, “Yeah, yeah. Come and join us for ‘New Rose,’ Gaz. It will be a laugh.” I didn’t think in my wildest dreams, he’d fucking—I thought I—I’d forgotten about it. I just thought, “Let’s make it to the end of this song and fuck off,” right? All of the sudden, this guy’s getting in and it’s like, “Yeah! Full marks to you man!” Walked up to the firing line, here.

E: Excellent. And after that, of course, I don’t really know how long it was but you formed another groundbreaking band the Lords of the New Church, which is a sort of a gothic-tinged thing to start with, and that had never been done before.

B: Yeah, it was sort of the same thing. It was like four—I mentioned it when he was in the Dead Boys back in New York in 1977, Easter of ’77, when Damned and Dead Boys played for three nights at CBGBs. And we just got to invite them over on our ‘Music For Pleasure’ tour and all that. But this, in general, in particular, we really got on again and we said one day we’re going to get a band together. My thing, before I came back from Belgium, before the Damned, you know, started and all that, was I wanted to find an Iggy. That’s what I was looking for. I wanted my own fucking Iggy. And I was lucky enough between the Damned and the Lords to tour with him in America.

E: Yeah

B: –with some bass and some other guys. And that was a fucking gas. That was really good. So I kinda got it out of me system a bit, but I still wanted to work with this Stiv guy. He came over to join up with some of the guys from Sham 69 in a band called the Wonders. And I put out an album. And I think they all got a bit bold with it, and at the same time they were doing their stuff, me and Stiv were getting together and writing some songs and basically planning to do something. And, in the end, we got Dave out of the Wonders, who used to be in Sham, and this guy Nicky, who was running the club—I don’t remember the name of the club—but he used to play in this band called the Barracudas. And they found their own sound.

E: It really was different back then. I saw your show at the 100 Club, well it was a few years ago now, but are you ever going to do some more stuff with playing those songs?

B: Yeah, at the moment, I’m going out as Scabies and James playing ‘Damned Damned Damned.’ We just played out second gig last Friday in Bristol. And it really sounded good. We had a lot of fun. And yeah, so the idea is we’re going to try and book the 100 Club for July the 6th because it would be like the 36th anniversary of the first band gig or something like that. And what we want to do, if we could possible do it is do a show there in the evening, and in the afternoon, do a special kind of an acoustic thing if you can imagine it in this pub called ‘the New Rose’ in Islington. So, for the time, make it a real celebration for our Damned fans.

E: Yeah, oh excellent. So you won’t be playing any Lords songs with this, or…?

B: No, this will be—

E: Oh so this will be just ‘Damned Damned Damned.’

B: We also do a couple numbers off ‘Music For Pleasure.’ We do ‘Sick of Being Sick,’ ‘Stretcher Case,’ and ‘Help!,’ things like that.

E: You were going to go to America, weren’t you?

B: Yeah, it was talked about, but did all the logistics of it—to get fuckin’ visas for America now cost like 1500 pounds each. It’s like, “You must be mad, man.” They take money off you at the gigs and tax. And it’s like, “How do you get from A to B? America’s a big country, right?” So, we’re going to wait a bit.

E: Build it up a bit, and wait till you get a few good offers, yeah.

B: Absolutely, man, absolutely. We’re off to Japan, though.

E: Yeah, because I saw you do the other one when you had Monty playing bass. That was cool. That was really good, though. I think you play well with Rat. He’s a fantastic drummer, and you work well.

B: Well, we just spark up each other, you know? That’s the way we used to be, and that’s the way we still are. Whenever we get the chance, we play together.

E: You’ve done the Brian James Gang for a while, and you’ve had your album out a few years ago. And you’ve got ‘Chateaux Brian,’ which is like a stripped-down, acoustic solo album, which I’ve been playing. And some of the Stones-influenced stuff like ‘Wishing Well’ is great. Have you been waiting to do something like that for a while?

B: Long, long time. Just needed to do it when the time is right, you know? I was messing around with Mark, from the Lords of the New Church on acoustic and piano, and it sounded really good. And he kept pushing me. “You gotta do it. You gotta do it.” And I said, “Look, I’m not going to do it where I just go into the studio and start banging something down. I want to do it properly. I want to do it on tape, first off. I want to do it analog, instead of digital, because I wanted purity of sound on the guitar and the vocals and stuff like that. He said, “Look, bring it up to me. I’ll sort all that out, if you go down and write some songs.” And I had a bunch of songs that I had been kicking around for ages because that’s how I write everything, is on acoustic. If it sounds good on acoustic, it sounds twice as good on electric. So I liked these songs I was kicking about, basically. And went in and did it, and I’m glad it’s taken this time, to tell you the truth. Like, my voice. Now it’s got a bit more weary and broken up and stuff like that. And I’ve gotten used to the idea of singing a lot more.

E: Well, it sounds great, man.

B: I’m glad you like it!

E: I guess doing a stripped-down thing with Rat is part of that, I suppose, of extinction or something a bit different.

B: But it is. It’s also a challenge. I’ve never been one to write particularly incisive lyrics, when you’re getting into the lyric side of things. But I’ve really got something, and I’m proud of it.

E: Are you going to get it on?

B:–stuff on the piano and the accordion. Really created some nice moods.

E: Are you going to do a bit more stuff with Mark?

B:Yeah, I hope to. Actually what I want to do is just go to the 100 Club when me and Ratt play and do an evening of Brian James down there. And do a little acoustic set with Mark. Do the Brian James Gang and have some special guests come along.

Read all about Brian, The Damned and The Lords Of The New Church in our next issue!

After a very successful 2 year run with the current line up. Thin Lizzy have made a decision to not release a new album under the Thin Lizzy name.

Scott Gorham "Out of respect to Phil Lynott and the legacy he created, we have decided that we should not release a new album under the Thin Lizzy name. It was a very difficult decision as we put a lot of time and effort into re-building the Thin Lizzy brand over recent years. Releasing a new album was the only way to continue this success. We all know how much Phil meant to this band and the fans. We have written 20 songs that we all feel very strongly do the band and Thin Lizzy name credit. We believe Phil would have been proud of them. We always knew a new record was a touchy subject with some people and as such really want the quality of these songs to be heard by everyone without any judgment or prejudice. To that end, we have decided not to release these songs under the name Thin Lizzy. We want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement over the years and to all our fans. We will release this material soon and you will be hearing some great new music with the classic Thin Lizzy sound intact. We will announce future plans early in the new year."

Ricky Warwick "Our plan always was to put out new music to keep the name Thin Lizzy alive and fresh with all the band’s fans – old and new. Nobody respects Phil as much as I do and singing his songs for the past 2 years has been an incredible honor and something I will never forget. Our plan was to always keep the band on top of their game, with great shows and great production to honor all that was Phil Lynott and his iconic body of work. Without a new album to gain new press and keep the momentum we have built up over the past two years, we are worried the Thin Lizzy brand and all it stands for will diminish to a point we would never want to see. Therefore our regular touring as Thin Lizzy will cease at the end of this year after our European tour. I do want to stress that this does not necessarily mean we will never play together again as Thin Lizzy. If there are options for other parts of the World, in territories that this line up has never visited then, we may still play odd shows in 2013 and beyond if people want to see us."

From all the band and associated personnel, we THANK EVERYONE OF OUR FANS & SUPPORTERS for making these past 2 years so incredible and we look forward to seeing you all on the Nov / Dec Tour "

Speaking about the cancellation of the show, which was due to go ahead in London on October 30th, Dave Ruffy, on behalf of Ruts DC, said: " don’t know why exactly, the promoter claims that "The mayor of Islington is using the assembly rooms that day" Sincere apologies to all you folks that were coming to see us. We are playing the 100 club on Dec 22nd and we will be booking a big London show soon with a decent promoter and will keep you all posted. Thank you all for your support."

Dropkick Murphys have announced the release date of their forthcoming album, ‘Signed And Sealed In Blood’.

The record, the band’s second with producer Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Old Crow Medicine Show), is due for release on January 8 2013 via Born and Bred Records.

Speaking about the album, which was recorded at Boston’s Q Division studios, bassist and co-lead singer Ken Casey said: “We had such a great time writing our last album, Going Out In Style, we were excited to get back into the studio right away,

Where Going Out In Style was a concept album — kind of intricate and difficult — this one is catchy, fun, and as sing-along as can be.”

Mersey Paradise is a special collection of 30 post-punk photographs, curated by eminent British photographer, Kevin Cummins. It was originally exhibited at The Hard Day’s Night Gallery in Liverpool five years ago – this will be the first time the collection will be displayed outside this city.

Mersey Paradise documents the hugely influential careers of a selection of Liverpool’s finest bands spanning the past forty years, from Echo & the Bunnymen to Half Man Half Biscuit.

Having vividly captured the public and private profiles of the original members of The Crucial Three (Pete Wylie, Julian Cope and Ian McCulloch) Kevin went on to document the rise and rise of the key performers from the city’s post-punk era up until present day, which he presents in a series of thirty stunning hand-finished prints.

The exhibition features familiar and previously unseen images capturing the changing faces of Julian Cope and Ian McCulloch whilst also delivering the spectacle of a youthful Holly Johnson from Frankie Goes to Hollywood in his previous guise as bass player for Big in Japan and ever bizarre Pete Burns in his youthful outlandish form, to name but a few. Other intimate portraits of featured artists include Pete Wylie, OMD, Half Man Half Biscuit, Wah!, Margi Clarke and Jayne Casey.

“The Liverpool scene was really vibrant in the late 70s, early 80s. It learned a lot from the success of Manchester and fought back in an attempt to regain its place as Music Capital of Britain.The Liverpool bands always had a cool charm and confidence – which I think comes across in these images.” Kevin Cummins.